Business owners and managers can now track financial performance securely in the cloud by importing QuickBooks data into their LivePlan business plan

Eugene, Oregon October 12, 2012

Palo Alto Software, makers of the world’s #1 selling business planning software, Business Plan Pro, Sales and Marketing Pro, and LivePlan, is proud to announce its integration with QuickBooks by Inuit to offer entrepreneurs a software solution for managing business finances in the cloud. The integration with Intuit Anywhere API represents the company’s commitment to developing business plan technologies to help entrepreneurs transform the vital act of creating a business plan into the active practice of business planning and management.

LivePlan gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to start, run and grow their business with a trusted tool from the world’s best small business planning company. With the LivePlan “Scoreboard” feature, users can review and manage budgets and track key milestones.
Research demonstrates that business owners who write and follow a plan are able to grow their business as much as 30% faster than those who fail to write a business plan. (Research by Professor Andrew Burke, Cranfield University, 2011)
Currently, the QuickBooks import feature works with QuickBooks for Windows 2009 and newer.

Alyson Cote, LivePlan customer and Vice President of Business Development for for Maternova’s marketplace for maternal health technologies, commented, “We use QuickBooks and we use LivePlan and we are thrilled to see them coming together. Writing our business plan with LivePlan is the foundation that we have built everything upon. Now, with QuickBooks we can compare our vision for our company with reality and adjust our strategy as needed. Thank you LivePlan!”

Palo Alto Software CEO Sabrina Parsons added, “Typically entrepreneurs write their business plan for a specific purpose, such as obtaining a loan, bringing in a partner, establishing a credit line, or pitching to investors. Many entrepreneurs launch their venture and proceed full steam ahead. They put their plan in a drawer and never look back. Our new solution addresses the market need for tools that provide assistance with ongoing business planning. But more importantly, it helps real business owners automatically compare the reality based numbers reflected by QuickBooks to their business plan’s projections – allowing them to not only track their success but also make timely course corrections if needed.”

As Professor Burke notes in his research, “the most successful ventures are those who are extremely agile, and able to let their strategy evolve.” He further states, “good planning builds agility.” LivePlan allows business owners to set a strategy in place, monitor it regularly on their “Scoreboard,” and evolve that strategy over time and adjust to the changing needs of the market.

Palo Alto Software is hosting a free webinar for those who would like to learn more about LivePlan integration with QuickBooks and other great new features. The webinar, “How to Plan and Manage for Success with LivePlan,” will be conducted via GoTo Webinar at 10:00 am Pacific Time on October 16. To pre-register, visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/248497738. The webinar is open to anyone interested in how to implement a business plan and track their financial growth.

About Palo Alto Software, Inc.
Palo Alto Software, Inc. makers of the #1 selling business planning software in the world, develops and publishes tools, products and content to help small and midsized businesses plan and manage their venture. LivePlan, the company’s flagship product offers a cloud-based, access-anywhere solution for both PC and Mac users. Palo Alto Software has been the market leader in its category for over fifteen years. Founded in 1988 by business planning expert Tim Berry, the company is a privately-owned corporation based in Eugene, Oregon.